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Brussels — Europe could add 25 GW of wind and solar to existing hydropower sites across seven EU countries without needing extra grid capacity, according to a new Ember new report.
“Political ambitions mean nothing if clean electrons are stranded in connection queues,” said Elisabeth Cremona, Energy Infrastructures Lead at Ember. “For countries facing gridlock, hybridisation offers an immediate, zero-intervention solution.”
Hybridisation as a near-term response to grid congestion
Hybridisation — often overlooked as a way to get more from existing grid infrastructure — combines technologies like wind, solar and storage behind a single grid connection. In Europe, hydropower plants are particularly well suited for hybridisation, as much of their grid capacity goes unused during the day.
“By adding wind or solar at the same connection point as a hydropower plant, developers can get online faster and operators can use grid infrastructure more efficiently — on average doubling utilisation — while staying within export limits,” said Cremona.
Across Austria, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain — the EU’s major hydropower markets — hybridisation could integrate 18% of the new renewables expected by 2030 without requiring additional grid capacity.
Targeted policy reform can speed hybrid rollout
Across the seven markets studied, only Portugal and Spain have specific rules for hybrid projects, while the others lack clear regulatory frameworks. This fragmentation comes as governments face growing pressure to accelerate renewable deployment and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels.
“Grid scarcity calls for immediate solutions. National legislation, paired with faster, priority processing of hybrid projects, can remove barriers to renewable deployment and make better use of existing infrastructure,” said Cremona.
About Ember
Ember is an independent energy think tank that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy. It creates targeted data insights to advance policies that urgently shift the world to a clean, electrified energy future.
News release from Ember.
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